Saratoga News

Public Safety Commission to push for class-A roofing

By Sarah Lombardo

The Saratoga Public Safety Commission wants to initiate formal discussions with the City Council this year on the subject of toughening roofing standards in Saratoga, according to the group's list of priorities for 1998.

The decision to look into the creation of a new ordinance for all of Saratoga that would require class-A roofing, the most fire-resistant available, on all new housing or replacement roofing was made at the commission's Jan.7 retreat. where other goals for the year were discussed.

Public Safety Commission Chairman Hugh Hexamer said a class-A roofing ordinance was an idea the commission had been discussing for some time, and one whose importance was underscored by the Los Gatos Cats fire last year.

"This is a long-term issue related to the security of the community," he said. "Its impact won't be felt overnight, but it's something that we must act on now if we are going to reduce our fire vulnerability in the long run."

According to fire department officials, class-A roofing helps prevent the spread of fire from one home to another via buildings' roofs. The higher the classification of the roofing material, the less likely a spark or burning ember will start another fire. Currently, about one-third of Saratoga is covered by a class-A roofing ordinance; new housing from the hills down to Saratoga-Sunnyvale and Saratoga-Los Gatos roads must be built using roofing materials that meet state standards for class-A fire resistance, the highest available. In addition, any projects in the same area in which 50 percent or more of the roof will be replaced must also use class-A roofing material.

But, Public Safety Commissioner Frank Lemmon said, that still leaves two-thirds of the city not covered by a strict roofing ordinance.

Lemmon, who acts as the commission's liaison with fire department officials, said that Saratogans living on the valley floor should not feel immune to a fire such as Los Gatos saw last year just because they are not in the hills. With homeowners planting plenty of trees around their homes in recent years and much of the area required by state law only to have class-C roofing, a lower resistance to fire than class-A, Saratoga is susceptible.

"People think it's a hillside issue, and it's not," he said. "If we had one good earthquake and a fire got going, it would be very tough to put it out."

Saratoga Fire District Chief Ernie Kraule said dealing with roof fires and preventing a fire's spreading from roof to roof often robs firefighters of the time and energy they need. "If we get two or three roof fires going at once, we have kind of depleted our resources," he said.

But both commissioners and fire officials admit that the push for stricter roofing standards won't be a popular one. Homeowners and contractors often oppose the class-A requirement because of the higher costs associated with class-A materials. Also, homeowners tend to prefer the look of wood-shingle roofing over class-A materials, such as asphalt composition roofing.

But Lemmon said he hopes residents will choose safety over aesthetics. "It's time to take a good-sense look at [the issue]," he said. Lemmon noted that the commission intends to begin discussions with the council on the subject in the near future, but no dates have been set.

Other priorities set by the commission for the year include initiating a review of city codes; continuing, and possibly expanding, the crossing guard program; continuing the school resource officer program; evaluating the effectiveness of the city code enforcement program, redesigned in the wake of budget cuts last year; monitoring traffic management in the Pride's Crossing area of Saratoga; and looking for solutions to traffic problems at the Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues area.

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